After a fairly lengthy bus ride and a ferry over the Channel, Cat and I made it to London and our hostel. While we found our hostel, getting to our room was a little difficult and disappointing. Turns out that pictures online don't quite give you a complete opinion of the room. I believe we ended up with the outcast room as it was through several obsure doors and took one specific staircase to get to. It wasn't in the best conditions either, but nothing we couldn't live with for a few nights. I didn't plan on hiding out inside anyway!
Our first mission was to find a decent English meal despite our late evening arrival. We settled for a restaurant/pub that advertised fish and chips for a good price and spent our first night planning out our week.
We found out about a free walking tour of the city and joined in the next morning. The guides were great and we hit most of the main sights in one day as well as got acquainted with how the city was laid out. We visited Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street (the private street of the Prime Minister's residence), Horse Guards, Clarence House (home to Prince Charles and sons William and Harry) and St. James Palace (former home to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother). We saw our fair share of the intimidating Royal Guards and learned a lot about the city and British culture.
The tour group in front of Horse Guards- the headquarters of the British Army and the site for the 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball competitions.
No one knows how this got there, but it is said to be Napolean's Nose and is rubbed for good luck.
Big Ben!
Clarence House- residence of the Wales royal family
Parliament
Did you know Members of Parliament are not allowed to have their hand in their pockets or address each other by name?
Buckingham Palace- The Queen's flag was flying, so we knew she was home!
I was scared to get too close!
Westminister Abbey- the sight of all British and English monarch coronations since 1066 and the burial site for most Kings & Queens as well. Other notable persons buried here: Charles Dickens, Sir Issace Newton, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Charles Darwin.
Cat and I spent the rest of the day exploring London on our own and also visited the British Museum (which houses the Rosetta Stone), the National Gallery, and Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station from the Harry Potter series.
We started Day 2 as spectators in the large mass gathered outside Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guards. Our next stop was St. James Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married. We also got a view of the beautiful interior of Westminister Abbey by attending an evening Choral Service. The day ended in West End where we got great seats for the longest running musical in London: Les Miserables! It was my first time to a professional production of a musical and it was definitely one of the best parts of our trip!
Changing of the Guard - The Old and New Guards meet for the cermonial handing over of the Palace keys. The Queen's Guard Band plays music while both are inspected and present arms (they even played "Dancing Queen" by Abba!).
We spent most of our last day in London at the Tower of London. The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. But it has also served as a place of execution and torture an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of England. Yeoman Warders (commonly called "Beefeaters") guard the tower as well as give tours. We saw the places of execution of sisters Anne and Jane Boleyn, as well as where Edward IV's two Prince sons were said to have been killed in order to make Richard III king. In the Jewel House, we were able to see the Crown Jewel collection including the Royal Sceptre where the Great Star of Africa, the second largest diamond in the world, is mounted. Afterwards, we sat down to a traditional Shepard's Pie for dinner and met up with a group of visiting college students for a night out.
It is said that if the ravens ever leave the tower grounds, it will fall.
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